Scott Souza On Celtics At 7: Bynum Not The Direction C’s Want To Go In

BOSTON (CBS) – The Celtics will be involved in plenty of trade rumors this season, but it’s still to be determined if they’ll be big buyers, sellers or if they’ll sit out the fun all together.

Scott Souza of the MetroWest Daily News joined Monday’s “Celtics At 7” with Rich Keefe (in for Adam Jones), and said he doesn’t expect much to happen by way of a trade until the upcoming NBA draft.

“I don’t think Danny Ainge is going to go for broke this year in any way,” said Souza. “If they can strengthen the team by moving a part, maybe a Courtney Lee or Brandon Bass, for a true center like a Omer Asik, then I think they do that. But they’re not going to do anything that will hamstring this team financially long-term. They still want to see this play out, exactly what they have with Rajon Rondo returning.”

“I think it’s going to be around draft time that Ainge will really sit down with the haul of picks he has, the contracts he has that are getting close to expiring, and that’s when some of the big moves will be made,” said Souza.

Souza noted that a trade will likely be one we don’t hear about until it actually happens, much like the trade deadline swap of Kendrick Perkins for Jeff Green in 2008.

One player Souza doesn’t see donning Celtic green is the disgruntled Andrew Bynum, who was suspended indefinitely by the Cavaliers prior to Saturday’s game in Boston. The Celtics are on the short list of teams Bynum may end up with, but Souza says his size wouldn’t out-weigh the off-court baggage for Brad Stevens and company.

“Right now you have a situation with a young coach with a team playing hard for him. They’re not going to win eight of ten games, but you do have a team that is buying in and you’re building around some of these young players. To bring in a guy like Bynum, who has had trouble throughout the years…. I don’t think that’s the direction you want to go in.

“Maybe he’s a guy that you add to a team that is one big away, to an established locker room,” said Souza. “I don’t think you want to test Brad Stevens at this point. He’s going to have enough of an issue with Rajon Rondo, you don’t need to give him Andrew Bynum.”

Souza also touches on Boston’s tough West Coast trip next week, and an overall brutal January schedule. Where will the Celtics be come February?